"We had a fine group of men...focused..on proving that colored troops were no different than white troops."

Facing enemies as insidious as those attacking his country, Walter Morris deftly turned every disadvantage into a plus in his World War II-era experiences. He was turned out of Officer Candidate School and assigned to head a service unit of African American soldiers, whom he transformed into the army’s first all-black battalion of paratroopers. Morris eventually got his stripes, earning the respect of both his men and his white superior officers, who admired his tenacity in the face of obstacles that had defeated many other soldiers before him.

"How did I feel through all of this? Scared to death, naturally..."

Margaret Henry Fleming's story

"'If you break our rules, we will kill you or we will do something worse.' They did something worse...."

Henry J. Wilayto's story

"The General said, 'Try Scotch'..."

Robert L. Richstatter's story

"I hated to face the reality that I was about to undergo a drastic change in my 'life style.'"

Nathaniel G. Raley's story

"We could hear the screams from down the passageway ..."

Donald Richard Peppard's story

"I believe I was becoming experienced too fast in the ways of the war..."

Paul Alexander Steppe Jr.'s story

"Take all you want but eat all you take."

Robert Lee Olen's story

"...Is this going to be my day to come back?"

Thomas H. Hodge's story